Pre-Socratic Philosophy: From Myth to Reason

Pythagoras and the Pythagoreans (570-497 BC)

Pythagoras was born on the island of Samos, Ionia. He later moved to Greece, where he founded his philosophical sect. Influenced by Eastern disciplines, such as Zoroastrianism, he became very famous and was considered a legend, even the son of Apollo. His doctrine reflected on the body and soul, believing the soul to be immortal and imprisoned by the body. The Pythagoreans also believed in reincarnation. Central to their philosophy was the liberation of the soul through spiritual work, which included philosophy, mathematics, and music, to create harmony and regularity in man. They posited the existence of fundamental principles underlying the concrete and changing world. Pythagorean thought heavily influenced Plato.

Heraclitus of Ephesus

For Heraclitus, fire was the beginning of all things. A mysterious character known as "the dark" and "the lonely," his most important idea was that of becoming: nothing truly exists; everything is in constant change; everything flows, is, ceases to be, and becomes again. "No one bathes twice in the same river," he famously stated, illustrating that everything changes, including the water's course and ourselves. This thought highlights the inherent insecurity of man, who cannot know for certain that something existing today will remain the same tomorrow.

Pre-Scientific Man

Pre-scientific man created myths, and their lives revolved around them. Questions and wonder led to fear, and seeing supernatural powers in both good and evil, they felt compelled to submit to them. Man was thus tied to religion.

Rational Man

Rational thinking developed to understand nature. Wonder and admiration led to reflection, which in turn led to reason and a decrease in terror.

Cosmological or Pre-Socratic Period

The first period of Greek philosophy focused on the reflection of nature and its changes. It pondered the origin of all things, seeking the fundamental principle (arche) of the cosmos. In philosophy, this is the domain of cosmology, while in myth, it is cosmogony.

Mythical Thinking

Today, myth is often synonymous with falsehood or a distortion of reality. However, for ancient, pre-scientific man, the practical tools to guide his life were myth, oracles, astrology, and the examination of the entrails of sacrificial victims.

Meaning and Structure of Myth

According to Aristotle (Chapter I, Metaphysics), in a certain sense, the lover of myth is a philosopher, for both share a common origin: admiration and wonder. This state of ignorance prompts questions, leading mythological man to religion, superstition, and magic for answers.

Structure of Creation Myths

• Cosmogony: The creation of the cosmos or universe.
• Theology: The relationship of the gods with creation.
• Anthropogony: The creation of the first man.

The goal of every myth is to indicate the location of man in the world, in relation to the elements and the gods.

Characteristics of Myth

Myth promotes a cancellation of our present time in favor of a sacred time, updating the time of creation. It shows man in perfect communion with all living things, evoking nostalgia for a "Golden Age." The sentiment "all the past was better" assumes that man abandoned the ideal place due to his own error or divine forces and is now subject to this evolution.